UPDATE: Empire has now shared an official look at Hiccup. Talking to the site, director Dean DeBlois says, "[The movie is] so dialled-up in terms of stakes - having a fully credible, photo-real dragon stomping around trying to kill him."
You can see the still below and, beneath that, you'll find the original leak.
The first trailer for the live-action How to Train Your Dragon movie is already playing in select theaters and, according to our sources, will be released online imminently.
For now, we have a few leaked images from the teaser (via Toonado.com) showing Mason Thames' Hiccup meeting Toothless in a scene which looks identical to the one from the critically acclaimed animated movie.
Also of note is the fact Toothless hasn't undergone any sort of radical reinvention, ensuring he looks every bit as adorable as his cartoon counterpart. There was always a chance he'd become a little more "realistic" in this setting, but the filmmakers clearly decided against heading down that potentially controversial route (look at Sonic the Hedgehog's backlash).
Nico Parker plays Astrid in the new How to Train Your Dragon and recently addressed how loyal to the animated movie this remake will be.
"I think it’s very much its own thing, but I’d like to think so much of that magic is also prevalent in this one. But I think it’s its own film, and it’s its own interpretation and everyone has their own version of a character. It’s important not to get too wrapped up, especially because the animated ones are so brilliant. It’s like, let’s not try and just do a play by play of that. And if anyone wants that, they can watch the animated ones. I think it’ll be wonderful, and if it isn’t, I’m having a wonderful time making it anyway. I’ll think it’s wonderful, no matter what."
Universal Pictures has assembled an impressive cast for the movie that includes Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Gerard Butler, Nick Frost, Julian Dennison, Gabriel Howell, Bronwyn James, Harry Trevaldwyn, and Ruth Codd.
Dean DeBlois, who wrote and directed Lilo & Stitch and the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy alongside Chris Sanders helms this remake, possibly explaining reports that it's been described as a Lion King-style shot-for-shot adaptation following test screenings.
In the animated How to Train Your Dragon, Hiccup, a young Viking who dreams of being a brave dragon killer, strikes up an unlikely friendship with one of the flying beasts after wounding it in battle. Together, Hiccup and his new friend - whom he dubs Toothless - must unite their cultures in a fight against a giant evil dragon known as the Red Death.
How to Train Your Dragon is set to be released in theaters on June 13, 2025.